New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio of It was founded in 1967 by as an independent film distribution company, later becoming a film studio. It was acquired by in 1994; Turner later merged with Time Warner (now ) in 1996, and New Line was merged with Warner Bros. Pictures in 2008. Currently, its films are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. History leading to Critters New Line Cinema was established in 1967 by the then 27-year-old Robert Shaye as a film distribution company, supplying foreign and art films for college campuses in the United States. Shaye operated New Line's offices out of his apartment at 14th Street and Second Avenue in New York City. One of the company's early successes was its distribution of the 1936 anti-cannabis propaganda film , which became a cult hit on American college campuses in the early 1970s. New Line also released many classic foreign-language films, like , Immoral Tales and (which became the first New Line film to win an Oscar). The studio has also released many of the films of John Waters. In 1976, New Line secured funding to produce its first full-length feature, Stunts (1977), directed by . Although not considered a critical success, the film performed well commercially on the international market and on television. New Line then produced or co-produced three more films in 1981 and 1983; Alone in the Dark, Xtro and Polyester, directed by . Polyester was one of the first films to introduce a novelty cinema experience named , where members of the audience were provided with a set of "scratch and sniff" cards to be scratched and sniffed at specific times during the film, which provided an additional sensory connection to the viewed image. A Nightmare on Elm Street was produced and released by New Line in 1984. The resulting franchise was New Line's first commercially successful series after a devastating financial slump, leading the company to be nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built". The film was made on a budget of $1.8 million and grossed over $25.5 million at the United States box office. It was the first film to feature the actor Johnny Depp. A year later, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge was released, and grossed $3.3 million in its first three days of release and over $30 million at the domestic box office. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was released in 1987, and grossed more than any previously released independent film and went on to make almost $45 million at the US box office. In November 1990, New Line purchased a 52% stake in the television production company RHI Entertainment (now ), which would later be sold to . In May 1991, New Line purchased the home video and foreign rights to 600 films held by Sultan Entertainment Holdings (aka Nelson Entertainment Group). The deal also included an 11-film distribution deal with Turner subsidiary . On November 27, 1991, New Line purchased Sultan outright. Film series References Source * Wikipedia, Category:Film